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Productivity of salt marshes What is a salt marsh- A salt marsh is a area of coastal grassland that are regularly flooded by seawater. It serves from a transition from wetland to dry land. The wetlands are flooded and then strained by the salt that comes in with the tides. It is marshy because the soil is made of mud and peat. Peat is made of plant matter that is broken down. The rotten egg smell that comes from salt marshes is called hypoxia. Hypoxia is made by the growth of bacteria that produces a sulfurous rotten egg smell. Salt marshes protect the coastline. Salt marshes are rich in marine life. They are often referred to as tidal marshes. The plant that usually grow within the marshes can not grow where the waves are strong. The salinity is determined by the exact location of the marsh. The marsh is low in oxygen. Also some of the salinity is determines the type of species you see. Productivity- Salt marshes create a haven for animals to hide from predators. They are important for shellfish and worms. The salt marshes serve as a nursery for fish, crustacean, and insects. It supplies food for bigger fish. The plants in the marsh come out in the spring and summer. Then it breaks down into a source of organic food in the fall. After that microorganisms break down the plants. After that it is food for bottom dwellers. Then the bottom dwellers feces get ate by microorganisms and whatever is left is fertilizers for the spring. And, well then the process is repeated again. Without marshes a lot of species would not survive
Sources
NOAA. "Salt Marshes Are Coastal Wetlands That Are Flooded and Drained by Salt Water Brought in by the Tides." What Is a Salt Marsh? N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. <http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/saltmarsh.html>.
Productivity of salt marshes
What is a salt marsh- A salt marsh is a area of coastal grassland that are regularly flooded by seawater. It serves from a transition from wetland to dry land. The wetlands are flooded and then strained by the salt that comes in with the tides. It is marshy because the soil is made of mud and peat. Peat is made of plant matter that is broken down. The rotten egg smell that comes from salt marshes is called hypoxia. Hypoxia is made by the growth of bacteria that produces a sulfurous rotten egg smell. Salt marshes protect the coastline. Salt marshes are rich in marine life. They are often referred to as tidal marshes. The plant that usually grow within the marshes can not grow where the waves are strong. The salinity is determined by the exact location of the marsh. The marsh is low in oxygen. Also some of the salinity is determines the type of species you see.
Productivity- Salt marshes create a haven for animals to hide from predators. They are important for shellfish and worms. The salt marshes serve as a nursery for fish, crustacean, and insects. It supplies food for bigger fish. The plants in the marsh come out in the spring and summer. Then it breaks down into a source of organic food in the fall. After that microorganisms break down the plants. After that it is food for bottom dwellers. Then the bottom dwellers feces get ate by microorganisms and whatever is left is fertilizers for the spring. And, well then the process is repeated again. Without marshes a lot of species would not survive
Sources
NOAA. "Salt Marshes Are Coastal Wetlands That Are Flooded and Drained by Salt Water Brought in by the Tides." What Is a Salt Marsh? N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. <http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/saltmarsh.html>.
Flordia Department of Environmental Protection. "Salt Marshes." Salt Marshes. N.p., 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/habitats/saltmarshes.htm>.
Weis, Judith. "Salt Marsh." Salt Marsh. N.p., 21 Feb. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. <http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/155839/>.
"Estuaries, Salt Marshes, and Mangroves - MarineBio.org". MarineBio Conservation Society. Web. Monday, November 04, 2013. <http://marinebio.org/oceans/estuaries-salt-marshes-mangroves.asp>.
Antonia Curtis